Working for EWI Works, I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to trial various products, from chairs to keyboards. The one office product that I always had trouble finding “the perfect fit” was the mouse. I have tried everything we brought in. While most were valuable for different clients due to their unique requirements, none felt exactly right for me – and of course, I would always have to surrender the various ones that I trialed so we could let the clients test them out for themselves first before purchasing. Then, a few weeks ago, Linda had me order the Penguin for our clients to trial.  I have to say that once I tried the Penguin mouse, I refused to turn it over. This mouse was mine. I was not going to give it up. Like Goldie Locks, I had found a mouse that was just right. We would have to order more for our clients to try.

It’s funny calling it a mouse when it actually does resemble those funny tuxedo clad birds from the Antarctic and less like a furry rodent. It’s vertical, rather than flat, and two tone – black and grey. The “beak” is the scroll button/wheel and the Penguin’s “bow tie” is the button that switches the mouse controls to transition from a right hand to a left hand mouse. This mouse is great for left handed individuals OR, to give your right hand a break and switch over to mousing with the left hand.

It took me about ten minutes to figure out how to use it – particularly where the left click and right click buttons are. But if you hold it horizontally first and then turn it upright to a vertical position, it’s easy to figure out where the left and right click buttons are (the “left” is the Penguin’s eye area above the beak and the “right” is below the beak). As always, it helps to read the simple instructions – which I found inside the box along with the charger for the mouse (mine is wireless and does not require batteries).

Here’s a quick summary of my take on the advantages and disadvantages of The Penguin:

Advantages:

1. 1.  As stated, it does not need batteries! This means no more scrambling to find spare batteries when your mouse dies.
   2. Because it is a vertical mouse, your hand fits the mouse naturally in a neutral position rather than having to turn your hand horizontally.
   3. I found that I do not have to grip as tightly. With a regular mouse, I found that the joint in my thumb would ache after a while because I gripped a regular mouse by squeezing my thumb and pinky finger around the device while moving the mouse and clicking. I do not have that problem with the joystick style mouse. There’s also a natural groove for the thumb to rest in and the Penguin mouse comes in three different sizes to suit small, medium and large hands.
   4. “Clicking” is done trigger style rather than my index finger pressing downward with all the pressure on my finger tip. I find the trigger style of clicking utilizes more area of the finger from the mid-section to the joint, squeezing the mechanism rather than pressing down on a button. Again, it just felt more natural.
   5. The Penguin utilizes the larger muscles in the arm to move the mouse rather than just the wrist, which reduces discomfort and the likelihood of injury.
   6. This bird is lightweight and glides smoothly! It’s very easy to use.

Disadvantages:

1. 1.  You need a large enough workspace to maneuver the mouse since the idea is that you are moving your arm, not just the wrist.
   2. Sometimes, if requiring smaller, precision movements of the cursor, you might have to use the wrist but not often.
   3. You should always have a mouse pad as the movements are smoother and it makes it easier to control the curser movement.
   4. The wireless version requires charging. Although it does come with a charge cord but make sure you keep the charge cord in a safe place and where you’ll remember where it is!

For a great demonstration of Posturite’s mouse, check out this YuTube video, produced by Posturite and demonstrated by their CEO, Ian Fletcher-Price:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65YRJ3foIys

As always, it’s good to check with an ergonomist first if you are feeling discomfort at work and you think it has something to do with the mouse you are using. It’s important to test out different products first as well, before making a purchase. If you want to know more about the Penguin Mouse by Posturite, contact us at info@ewiworks.com.